The Real Reason Hermione Quit Divination
by 2NiCe4U
Summary: 2 part story...Finding out who your supposed Soul Mate is not all it's cracked up to be...SSHG
1. Hermione's Soul Mate

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

The Real Reason Hermione Quit Divination

I'm getting really tired of this class. Really, everything I've seen in tea leaves doesn't even make sense. The last time I looked into a Chrystal ball I saw another glowing ball. It must've been broken. Also, I've been getting the name Severus Snape in some of the predictions. Seriously, what does he have do with anything besides my grade in potions?

What if it means I'm going to fail in potions? What if he expels me after we (meaning Harry, Ron, and I) get caught in another scrape? We haven't been very careful with that.

No, it can't be that. Why am I getting so worked up about a few measly tea leaves placed randomly at the bottom of my cup? This class is just too messed up for me. Maybe I'll not take it next year.

Uh oh. Lavender and Parvati, my worst nightmares in this class, are closing in on me. They sit down on either side of me and each put a hand on my shoulder before I can escape with dignity.

"Hermione," Lavender simpers in a voice she thinks emanates good will. It actually makes her sound a bit whiny. "We would love to do this new divination that we found in our Inner Eye Weekly. Please will you do it?" She waves the folded magazine in my face and I catch the words 'Soul Mate'.

I inwardly groan and wish with all I am that I could protest, but I don't need to go through what I did the last time I refused her. She turned into a psycho psychic on me and followed me about, making horrible predictions on me. I still get laughed at for her prediction that I would always be a virgin. That really stings when the laughter is coming from fellow Gryffindors.

"Fine Lavender, but just this last time. I don't want you predicting anymore of my life. I'd rather be surprised by it like a normal person." Lavender eagerly nods, and I can tell that she'll be back next week with the next magazine, ready to try another one on me.

"First, you have to close your eyes and give us both of your hands." I roll my eyes, but comply with them, feeling the slightly sweaty hand of Lavender (probably from excitement) and the clammy hand of Parvati. "Now I'm going to put a little bit of this on your forehead." Before I can do anything, I feel a finger smear something across my forehead.

"Hey! What is that? It could be a skin absorbed poison for all I know!" I tell them angrily.

Lavender scoffs at me. "It came with the magazine. Do you really think they would send poison to all of their subscribers? That would seriously lower their profits!"

In an obtuse way, Lavender has a point. "Who knows what some of those crazy people will do to get customers interested. It could be manure for all we know!" I can see Lavender flinching a bit in my mind, and hear her taking a whiff of the substance still on her finger.

"Nope, it's not manure. Besides, it's orange anyways." I mentally roll my eyes since I can't really do it right now with my eyes shut. I'll just be quiet so they can finish up this idiotic prediction. Who wants to know who their Soul Mate is anyways? It would completely ruin their life. Not to mention the chances of the prediction being accurate.

Lavender must have read my mind (no pun intended), as she tells me, "This is a fool proof chance to find the only man that will truly complement you. In a few minutes, you'll see the image of your Soul Mate in your mind. Make sure to tell us. All you have to do is keep your mind completely blank."

This is easier said than done in my case, but I bet it can be pretty easy for them. They probably practice it daily. Heheh. Oops! I think I laughed out loud. Oh well. I won't be opening my eyes to see the weird looks sent my way. I concentrate on not thinking about homework or how late I'll be in the library tonight or what we are actually supposed to be learning right now. It takes time, but I finally do it.

It seems I don't have to wait very long. An image comes to my mind, blurry at first, but it sharpens as I wait. It sure is a bit dark. I can't tell who it is yet though. Whoever it is, they are bent over a desk, writing on something. Well, I guess the guy could be my Soul Mate if he's serious about his homework.

Suddenly, the image clears up all the way, and I'm very shocked to see the results. There, sitting at his desk, grading papers with his infamous red ink is Severus Snape! I shriek and see the image look up, surprised. "Miss Granger?" He asks, confused.

As quick as I can, I open my eyes and scramble for the door, not noticing the looks I'm being given by the other students. Forget about dignity! I'm getting out of here!

I can hear Lavender and Parvati running after me, calling my name, but I'm too far away for them to possibly catch up. I'm running as fast as I can down a corridor on the seventh floor, intent on getting to my room, when I crash hard into someone and fall back on my butt.

Feeling a bit dazed, I look up to see…Dumbledore! Phew! For a minute I thought it would be Professor Snape, and that couldn't be a good thing in the state I'm in. "Something wrong Miss Granger?" He asks me with a kind twinkle in his eye. I planed on not telling anyone about this, but the past few minutes circumstances seem to just spew out of my mouth as if I've had a good dose of Veritaserum.

When I'm done, I look up at Dumbledore, horrified. What does he think of me now? What should I do?

Just when I decide to slowly back away and run in the opposite direction, he says, "I think I know the solution to this little problem." This stops me in my tracks, and I look up at him hopefully. "We simply have to do the prediction on Severus." He tells me, which is definitely NOT what I want to hear. My shoulders slump resignedly as he leads me down to the dungeons.

"I was lucky enough to have the Inner Eye Weekly in my pocket when you bumped into me. I was wondering who I could try the experiment on. I was thinking of Sylvia, but she might have already tried it on herself! Why didn't I think of that before?" Dumbledore went on and on as we ventured into the depths of the castle. I only half listened to him on the way, and that is why, when we reached the door to professor Snape's office, I was confused when he said, "And that is why grapes do not grow in Antarctica." Dumbledore opens the door without knocking, and it seems as if I'm back in my 'vision'. There he is, sitting at his desk and scribbling red all over an unfortunate student's essay. I would feel sorry for them if I wasn't feeling so nervous right now.

Professor Snape looks up in annoyance at being interrupted, but the expression changes to a raised eyebrow. "And what can I attribute to the honor of your presence this evening?" He says sarcastically. This is the man I am most compatible with?

Dumbledore advances sedately over to Snape's desk, but I prefer to stay in the doorway, hopefully unnoticed. "Come here, Miss Granger." He calls to me, dashing those aforementioned hopes. I walk unwillingly closer to my supposed Soul Mate.

Dumbledore pulls out a packet of orange goo, which supposedly is still smeared on my own head. Snape looks suspiciously at it. "I am doing an experiment, and I need your participation, whether it is voluntary or not. As you see, Miss Granger has been subjected to this same experiment, and there is nothing wrong with her. Now, hold out your hands."

Snape looks like he'll protest, but decides not to at the sharp look Dumbledore gives him. He sighs, resigned, and holds out his hands. Dumbledore takes one hand and motions me to take the other. Great, I'm about to hold Professor Snape's hand. I gulp and unwillingly take it, surprised at how warm and normal it is. Well, it's not as if I was expecting slime or anything. I just didn't think holding it would feel so…comfortable. I can feel a few calluses, probably from his botched potions experiences over the years, not to mention the weekly potions disasters that he faces.

"Now Severus, I'm going to smear this on your forehead, and them I will need you to clear your head of everything. Then tell me what you see." Dumbledore proceeds to swipe the orange goo across Snape's forehead. It looks kind of funny. I don't think I've seen him in a less than dignified position before. We then wait while he empties his mind of trivial things and not so trivial things alike.

After about a minute and a half, I see his brow knot a bit. He breathes in sharply a few seconds later, and opens his eyes. I know before he says my name that his saw me in his mind. It's in his eyes as he looks at me.

"Well then, I guess this really is a fool proof prediction! Miss Granger here saw you when she was subjected to this experiment. I'll leave you to it then to talk things out." After saying this, Dumbledore throws the magazine onto Snape's desk to look at and bustles out before I can even take a breath to say anything. The door clicks shut with a resounding snap, and I feel like my life should be flashing before my eyes. If I don't die of embarrassment at this situation, Snape will surely kill me.

I turn to see him reading offending article that Lavender waved briefly in my face, his expression getting more foreboding by the second. I want to read the aforementioned article, but am not brave enough to venture any closer to him. It's best to delay my eminent death as long as possible.

He finally looks up at me. "This has got to be a fluke." He says in a tone that implies how he feels about the credibility of the author of the article.

"My thoughts exactly." I reply without delay. I should have quit divination far earlier. It's a whole bunch of crap if you ask me. "How in the world did we end up as 'Soul Mates'? I don't understand how I could see you in my mind with a stupid bit of paste and you likewise. I say we dissect the paste to see what the ingredients are."

"Excellent idea, Miss Granger. I think that deserves a point to Gryffindor." He replies. I'm a bit indignant that he only gave one point, but his expression says not to push it. He'd probably take five points away for undermining a teacher.

We gather the experimental tools, which consist of a standard pewter cauldron, a ladle, and an ingredient splitting potion. Taking the remnants of the paste that Dumbledore used on Snape, we got to work. I was kind of amazed how fluent and well we worked together. If we really were Soul Mates, we could probably start our own potions business. That's not a bad idea.

What am I thinking? We are NOT Soul Mates! This idea has gotten to my head. Yes, Snape has admirable qualities, such as a nice voice and hands, intelligence, and wit, etc, but that doesn't mean that he's an option. He probably doesn't see me as anything more than an annoying brat.

We finally finish separating all of the ingredients of the paste, and then discuss the different uses of each. He has really nice eyes. Whoa! Where did that come from!

We decide that this could be a viable potion. Snape checks the article to see who invented such a potion. He snorts and shows me the names. The Weasley twins! I laugh out loud as well, but can't help but think that they are pretty good when it comes to making original products. This should be worrying me. We clean up the ingredients up in silence and then decide not to ever talk about this again, let alone think of it. I leave the classroom with a smile on my face, and not just because I still have my life. It was really fun trouble shooting the potion with Snape. He's actually decent when he's not trying to bite your head off or insult you.

I take the late note he gave me and go to History of Magic class, thinking that this would be the only and last time I would have to worry about being Soul Mates with Severus Snape.

Oh how wrong I was.


	2. The LongAwaited Results

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

The Long-Awaited Results

It has been about eight years since that eventful day. A day that would change my prospective of one man forever. I guess the things that happened were just a catalyst that made me see things I would never have if I wasn't labeled as Severus Snape's Soul Mate.

At first, the classes were a bit awkward. I didn't really know how I should act or what I should think about this man who had been inadvertently and most unwillingly tossed into my life. I just decided to block out that day's events and reestablish the perspective I had before.

It didn't work quite like I planned. Wondering if this man really had the stuff to become my Soul Mate kept me observant of his qualities more attentively than perhaps healthy for a third year. His unfavorable traits were not so hard to find, but, whenever I found something good, such as catching him trying to awkwardly comfort a crying first year Slytherin in what he thought to be an empty hallway, I felt as if I had struck gold.

Time progressed, and there were many things to occupy me during the next few years. Harry had many problems to deal with, and we (meaning Ron and myself) were always there to get through it with him. My studies also took much of my time, as subjects became more advanced. I was up to the challenge and eventually came out on top.

After my sixth year, the year when Voldemort died for good, I had much more time to relax without the stress of death threats to myself and my friends. Throughout my seventh year, I was able to revisit the many qualities of Severus Snape, and, as most nerdy teenagers with repressed hormones do, I came to have a slight crush on the man.

It's not like there weren't good reasons for this change of heart. Without the stress of being a pseudo-Death Eater weighing on him, Snape was able to regain health in the body he had neglected to care for over the years. I wasn't the only girl noticing the intimate dance his hands performed over a steaming cauldron. He seemed to be eating normally as well, as he didn't look like a bean pole anymore. Of course he wasn't fat. He had a wiry frame that most of the girls paid strict attention to during potions.

Owing to the disappearance of a certain tattoo on his forearm, Snape had made it a habit to not wear his stifling robes. This made certain students' robes a bit stifling as well. Even someone as studious as I was found it distracting. He also tied back his hair and managed to actually get a bit of coloring to his skin thanks to regular walks outside. Yes, the old stone cold potions master was gone, and in his place was a living, breathing, and most attractive man.

We ran into each other quite a lot, sometimes literally. Those were times I remembered for weeks. His manly smell, piercing eyes and striking intelligence left all the boys my age wanting.

Before I knew it, I was off to University, where I stayed for two years on full scholarship, learning all I could about Transfiguration and Potions. Because of my diligence and hard work, I was able to graduate in no time, and was soon on my way back to Hogwarts to apprentice under McGonagall so that I could one day take her place as the Transfiguration teacher.

Headmaster duties were weighing heavily on her and she gladly accepted my application. It seemed as though I was always the daughter she never had, and we had kept in touch while I attended University. She had mentioned the opportunity, and I had thought over it many times. Yes, I could see myself as a teacher.

Here I am, at the gates, staring out at what had become my home. Good old Hogwarts! How I had missed it! I set a determined pace down the road that led to the front of the castle, glancing around at the lake and Quiddich pitch. Nothing has changed. Good.

Thinking of changes, I wonder what my other colleagues will think of me. I hope they approve of me.

Before I can bite all my nails off in worry, I enter the castle and head towards the Headmaster's office. She should be there, as it will not be dinner for another hour. I stare at the gargoyle statue for a few seconds before I try to guess the password. I somehow do not think it will be the name of a candy.

After a few fruitless tries, I hear someone chuckle behind me. I turn around with an annoyed look, but can't think of words as I face my former crush. Those feelings had not gone away as I had thought after all. After giving him a once over, I collect my wits enough to say something. "I'm sure it would be a lot easier for me if someone were to tell me the password."

Severus Snape raises an eyebrow at my cheek. "It might be pixie dust." I try the password, but nothing happens. Figures. I look expectantly at him until he says to the gargoyle, "Granny's Tartan." Of course, the statue moves aside to reveal the stairs.

"Now, was that so hard?" I ask him, but am unable to put any exasperation into it. The man is just too good-looking.

He smirks at me in a way that makes my knees a bit weak. "Unspeakably so. Welcome back to Hogwarts, Miss Granger."

"Hermione, call me Hermione. We are soon to be colleagues. I, of course, will not take such liberties with your name unless you give express permission, Professor Snape." I tell him, wanting to hear my name in that delicious voice of his.

"Permission granted…Hermione." Oooh! The way he says it gives me tingles. He probably knows it, too. I'm sure he's had his fair share of admirers over the last couple of years. I can't help thinking about the events of eight years ago. If only there was a way to find out…My body reacts as I think of the possibilities. Oops, I think Severus saw my expression.

"Come by my office after dinner, Hermione. I believe we have some things to discuss." He says, turning to leave.

"Of course, Severus." His name feels good on my tongue, and I think he might agree, as he pauses for a second or two when I say it. As he vanishes down into the dungeons, I continue my trek up to McGonagall's office.

She ushers me in, and we talk as much about my apprenticeship as we do about other things. Soon enough, she is escorting me to the third floor, where she leads me to my rooms, conveniently placed close to the Transfiguration classroom. She leaves me to put my belongings away. I do so and then head down to dinner, where I am pleased and nervous to find that I will be sitting by Severus and Minerva (as I am to call her from now on).

I sit down, smiling at all of my new colleagues, and am soon in three separate discussions at the same time, leaving me feeling a bit rueful at the sight of dessert. I barely got a couple bites of the main course in. Severus seems to notice as well, and leans closer to me, causing my breathing to increase a bit. That man will be the death of me! All my nerve endings are attuned to him.

"Maybe it would be prudent to stop by the kitchens before we head to my office." He says into my ear, his nose lightly brushing against the top of it. I nod as he withdraws, not trusting my mouth to form more than a bunch of gibberish. My stomach answers for me with an audible growl, and Severus chuckles. I could get used to that sound. His chuckle, I mean.

We leave together as soon as polite. I don't catch the raised eyebrows sent our way as we head towards the kitchens. I reach out and tickle the pear, earning a questioning look from Severus. "When you have the Weasley twins in your house, you seem to get a more thorough understanding of Hogwarts." I explain, and he nods in agreement with another of those delicious smirks. Maybe he shouldn't stand so close to me, as I feel like finding out without words what kind of dessert he had for dinner.

Luckily for him, a house elf, noticing us standing in the doorway, interrupts the losing battle I am fighting with my hormones. "Is there anything Dotty can do to help Sir and Miss?" He questions, and I notice at least half a dozen elves behind him, eagerly awaiting our orders.

Miss Hermione Granger has unfortunately missed her dinner because of the enthusiasm of the other teachers. If you could fix her something, we would be most appreciative."

All of the house elves behind Dotty bow their heads and scurry away to fix me something. No doubt I'll have a literal feast provided. These elves are really eager to please. Severus seems to be on the same train of thought, as he looks at me with a bit of humor in his eyes.

"Not too upset at being served, are you Hermione?" Mmm. That voice.

"No need to worry, Severus. I realized long ago that my campaigns were fruitless. It seems that Dobby was an oddball." I tell him good-humoredly.

Dotty escorts us to a table for two. "Anything for the Master?" She asks, her eyes looking almost pleadingly for some chore to do.

"I'm sure that I can find something from the veritable feast you have in store for Miss Granger." Dotty bows and then disappears into the throng of house elves. Seconds later, a huge platter is placed in front of me, and I look amusedly over the pile of food at Severus. It looks as if he's struggling not to laugh. I roll my eyes and eagerly look over the selection. So many good things to eat! I start with a piece of marinated chicken, and see Severus pull out an apple, crunching into it with relish. So sexy!

Realizing that I'm staring, I dig in, happily eating Hogwarts food again. It's so good to be back!

After I'm sated, and Severus has had a slice of chocolate cake (it seems he has a sweet tooth), we head down the dungeons to his office. He opens it with a mumbled password that I can't quite hear and opens it, gesturing for me to go in first. I thank him and walk by, curious and not a little nervous to be here. I wonder what we are to talk about.

The door closes with a quiet click, and Severus goes over to sit behind his desk, after he has motioned for me to sit down. I look at him and feel as if I'm a student again, ready to be rebuked, but the look on his face dispels any thought of me being punished. Hmm, kinky.

"You are probably wondering why I asked you to come, and rightly so. I haven't made my, ah, intentions known." Severus begins, and I listen curiously. "This has to do with a certain event involving you and myself, back when you were a third year." This sentence gave me a shock, as I thought he would have forgotten about the embarrassing incident.

"Yes?" I reply, to show him I am listening.

"I, ah, did some further research on the paste used, even speaking directly to the Weasley twins about it at one point in time." I raised my eyebrows at this, as I can only imagine what happened during that confrontation. The best scenario would be that they asked Severus who his Soul Mate was. Severus sees my expression and snorts. "You don't want to know what happened." He said. "Anyways, getting down to it, the culmination of all my research, not to mention the creators' comments from it, leads me to believe that The prediction has a 99.9 accuracy. I even tried it again, and the results were the same." At this, Severus abruptly stops speaking, giving me the time to process this.

Severus has a 99.9 chance of being my Soul Mate? This is…unreal. But not unwelcome. I guess I could do a few experiments after all. It is my right to see whether this is a fluke or not.

Severus takes my silence the wrong way. He stands and goes over to the door, opening it. "I understand that the prospect of being my Soul Mate does not have much of an appeal on someone as brilliant as you. If you wish, I will never speak of this again. You can consider it a figment of your imagination." He obviously expects me to storm out in disgust. Well, he has another thing coming.

"Shut the door, Severus." He looks at me as if he doesn't know what I mean. Poor guy. He probably doesn't think that he deserves even the chance of having a Soul Mate. I guess it's up to me to show him otherwise. I bet my eyes are sparkling by now.

Seeing Severus still standing by the door, I sigh as if in exasperation (though it's definitely not) and walk over to him. He looks at me as if I'm a volatile potion that might explode in his face at any second. This is going to be so fun.

I stand so that I'm only inches away, and place my hands on his biceps. Nice. Then I lean in, making sure to breathe lightly in his ear before whispering, "Shut the door, Severus." In a voice that's got the man shivering. I'm so happy about his reaction to me, but he seems kind of brain dead, as he is just standing there. I pull back a bit to see that his eyes are tightly closed.

Smirking, I shut the door for him, and proceed to push him against it, leaning into his ear once again. "You know, I'm very glad you're my Soul Mate, but I think we need to…experiment, just to make sure it's not a fluke." The combination of words and proximity seems to be his undoing, and he breathes in sharply and grips my waist with his large, dexterous hands.

I take this as my cue and go in for the gold, meaning I plant one on him. His lips are so soft, and it takes him a while to recover from the shock, but soon enough he's kissing back. Severus' hands aren't the only things that are dexterous. Mmm, chocolate cake.

It's been a few minutes since I initiated the first kiss, and by now I'm whimpering as he nibbles on my bottom lip and kneads my lower back. Oh, that feels so good! My hands have minds of their own, as they travel from his hair to his arms to his chest and back again. So lovely.

I playfully nip at his lip when I have the chance, and he groans, pulling me closer until it would take a crow bar to separate us. I find out that I am definitely not the only one enjoying this situation, and grab his finely shaped arse to show that I feel the same. I believe he's shocked and turned on by my forwardness, as he proceeds to turn us around so that I am the one against the door. He is now peppering my neck with a variety of kisses, and we both find out that I really enjoy receiving hickeys. I make sure to give him some as well, and we are both more than satisfied with it.

How did things escalate so fast? This is so amazing that I might have to literally pinch myself.

After about twenty more minutes or so of serious snogging, we finally get ahold of ourselves enough to stop, if only for the time being. I look at Severus to see that he is looking decidedly rumpled, from the messy hair to the wrinkled clothing, and I've never seen anyone sexier. I'm guessing I look just as rumpled, and can tell that he is restraining himself from pouncing back on me. I would encourage it, but we have some things that we need to talk about before we get back to business.

"As you can see, I am decidedly resigned to the fate of being your Soul Mate." I tell him, earning a crooked smile that I just find heart-meltingly wonderful. His expression looks a bit dreamy.

"Why don't we experiment a little more, just to make sure?" He says in a decidedly seductive voice that has me yearning for that mouth to do such delicious things to me.

I would have said that I agreed, that is, if my mouth wasn't currently occupied. So much for talking it out.

And we lived predictively and most happily ever after (well, except for when we had to tell Harry and Ron about our relationship, oh, and that time when Severus first met my parents...).

**The End**

**Comments:** Well, this is my first completed story (hope you liked it). If you enjoyed this, then I think you will definitely like my other story, The Challenge of Hating You. It's still in progress, but I plan to be efficient in putting up new chapters. Please review if you like. Thanks again.


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